Front Wheel Alignment Tools

Wheel alignment affects the steering pattern of your vehicle and is a major contributor to tire wear. Improperly aligned tires may pull to the left or right when driving, which is a dangerous safety hazard. The three elements of alignment to consider are caster, camber and toe. These terms er to the placement of the wheels, whether they be set forward or backward, tilted in or out or pointed to the inside or outside.

Laser Wheel Alignment Tool

Laser wheel alignment tools make taking toe measurements quick and easy. Wheels with a toe-in setting face inside, while toe-out wheels point to the outside when the tires are viewed head on. Laser tools replace the old method of measuring, which usually involved painting a line around the tire and measuring by hand. With a wheel alignment tool, youll only need a steel bar and bungee cord to set the toe on a vehicle with an "in" or "out" toe setting. While these tools make setting the toe easy, the can be expensive and may not be practical for home workshops.

Caster/Camber Gauges

Caster and camber are wheel alignment elements that can be measured with caster/camber gauges. Caster ers to the position of the wheels top and bottom ball joints in relation to the spinning axis, the cars axle. When viewed from the side, the ball joints may be positioned either in front of or behind the axle, rather than sharing an equal distribution for proper alignment. Camber can be viewed by looking at the tires head on; the top of the tire may be tilted in or out, which can cause uneven wear on your tires. Caster/camber gauges are attached to wheel hubs and use a level to determine the amount of positive or negative caster or camber associated with each wheel. You turn the wheel to one direction, take a reading, then turn in the other direction, take another reading and calculate the difference. Manual gauges are one option, but digital gauges take the guesswork out of caster and camber measurements.

Camber Kits

Most vehicles are built with the ability to adjust toe and caster in the suspension set-ups, but, according to Sport Compact Only, "less than half of vehicles manufactured have camber adjustability." Those vehicles that do have this ability, usually only allow for a small range of correction. Camber kits widen the range of camber adjustability so you can correct excessive camber problems beyond factory specifications. They are almost always necessary if you lower your vehicle, which can produce excess negative camber. The shim and washer camber kit design is fairly easy to install; it fits snugly against the hub and acts like a shim to hold the tire out. Some camber kits are more difficult to install, however, and may require the complete removal or replacement of your vehicles ball joints.